Mouthpiece for cornets and the like.



D. A. MCDONALD.

MOUTHPIECE FOR CORNETS AND THE LIKE.

APPLlCATIDN FILED 3ULY30,1914. 1,166,137.

Patented D60.28,1915.

DAVID A. MCDONALD.

or CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

MOUTHPIECE FOR CORNETS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

Application filed July 30, 1914. Serial No. 854,000.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID A. MCDONALD, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago,county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Mouthpieces for Cornets and the like, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mouth pieces for cornets andsimilar musical instruments, and has for its object the provision of amouth piece of this character so shaped as to facilitate the productionof clear and pure tones without undue straining of the lips.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of partshereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawing forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is alongitudinal section taken through a mouth piece embodying my inventicn,the position of use being indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 2, a frontview of the mouth piece, and Fig. 3, a. section taken on line 3-3 ofFig. 1.

The preferred form of construction as illustrated in the drawingcomprises a mouth piece having a throat 4 of usual construction and acup 5 provided with a rim adapted to bear against the lips of theplayer. The upper portion 6 of this rim is curved to conform to a circle7 of comparatively small radius, and the lower portion 8 of said rim iscurved to conform to a circle 9 of comparatively large radius, saidportions 6 and 8 being connected smoothly at each side by sharply curvedportions 10, said portions 10 being curved to conform with circles ofvery short radii. The radii of the circles 7 and 9 are substantially inthe proportion of one to three. The cup 5 is also curved in transversesecticn to conform with the curvature of the rim of the mouth piece.This arrangement produces a mouth piece having in general the form of adistorted oval one side of which has a comparatively flat curvature andthe other side being arched with respect thereto on a comparativelysharp curve.

It is a well known fact that the tones of cornets and similar windinstruments are produced by vibration of the lips of the player. Underthese circumstances in order to produce clear and pure tones, it isnecessary that both lips vibrate synchronously or in unison with eachother. Inasmuch as the lips of a person have somewhat different shapesand consistency, it seldom happens that both lips of a player willnaturally v brato synchronously and such synchronous vibration must beobtained either by muscular contraction in one lip or by distorting theposition of the mouth piece thereon. This muscular contractionnecessarily hardens and stiifens the lip and in this manner many skilfulplayers have been greatly inconvenienced. I have discovered, however,that if the vibration be limited to one of the lips only of the player,this necessity for synchronizing is obviated, the injurious efl'ectsthereof avoided and the production of clear and pure tones greatlyfacilitated. I accomplish this by providing a rim having oppositeportions of radically different curvatures, preferably the upper portionof comparatively great curvature and the lower portion of comparativelysmall curvature, the two being joined together by a sharp curve. By thisarrangement a mouth piece may be placed against the lips, as indicatedin Fig. 1, and when firmly pressed thereagainst, the lower lip will beheld from material vibration while the upper lip will be left free forvibration alone, and at the same time the meeting of the lips be broughtopposite the throat of the mouth piece. In this position the onlymaterial vibrations will be in the upper lip so that there will be nonecessity of synchronizing with the lower lip. In some people the lowerlip only will vibrate, or, at least, vibrates much better than the upperlip, in which case the mouth piece may be reversed so as to bring theportion of least curvature against the upper lip. The pureness of thetone is also augmented by shaping the cup to conform to the curvature ofthe rim, as it diminishes in size and approaches the throat of the mouthpiece.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come Within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A mouth piece provided with a rimin the general form of a distortedoval, one side being of comparatively flat curvature and the other sidebeing arched with respect thereto and more sharply curved, substantiallyas described.

2. A mouth piece provided with a rim in the general form of a distortedoval, one side being of comparatively fiat curvature and the other sidebeing arched with respect thereto and more sharply curved, said mouthpiece being also provided with a throat located adjacent the side havingthe flatter rim, substantially as described.

A mouth piece in the general form of a distorted oval in transversesection, one side being of comparatively fiat curvature and the otherside being arched with respect thereto and more sharply curved,substantially as described.

A. A mouth piece in the general form of a distorted oval in transversesection, one side being of comparatively fiat curvature and the otherside being arched with respect thereto and more sharply curved, saidmouth piece being also provided with a throat located adjacent theflatter side, substantially as described.

5. A mouth piece in the general form of a distorted oval in transversesection, one side being of comparatively flat curvature and the otherside being arched with respect thereto and more sharply curved, saidsides being curved on radii in substantially the proportions of one tothree, and said mouth piece being also provided with a threat locatedadjacent the flatter side, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID A. MCDONALD.

Witnesses JOSHUA R. H. PoTTs, B. G. RICHARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of IPatents, Washington, I). G.

